Thames pool gets $35k paint job to ward off black mould

Thames' Centennial Pool is set to receive a $35,000 paint job to eliminate the risk of black mould re-growing, forcing the council-owned asset to close for three weeks over summer school holidays.

Located at Thames High School, re-painting is critical to reach pool water quality national guidelines as well as avoiding another black mould outbreak, most recently occurring over the Christmas period last year.

The Thames Community Board agreed to provide the funding, with chair Adrian Catran saying the mould "just loves" the majority concrete bare floor the pool currently has.

"It'd be derelict in our duty if we allowed people to use the pool when it wasn't fit for purpose," Catran said.

"There's a concern that black mould will come back to the pool. We just can't afford having users of the pool be subject to black mould in one of our assets."

As part of the re-painting process, the pool will be fully emptied with two-three top coats applied over a skin coat and epoxy primer, which will seal the surface for five to six years, a council report read. Washing and water blasting will also occur to identify and repair any defects.

The summer sun is also required to completely dry out the pool, a factor which created a delay, Catran says.

He admitted while it is frustrating to close during one of the hottest periods of the year, he said it "still leaves 49 weeks of the year when the pool's open".

"The pool is 50 years old and it has passed its life expectancy. We are just running repairs so the pool can remain in place until a new one is built."

"I'm sure they'd [users] rather have a pool for 49 weeks a year than no pool at all."

The funding follows a long saga concerning the pool situation in Thames as the council grapples to find a viable option to replace the current asset, which is at the end-of-life stage.

The pool also sits on a sacred urupā of Ngāti Maru, with council making a commitment to the iwi to remove the pool and return the land.

Council agreed with Ngāti Maru to have the pool removed by the end of 2027. If operating in good faith however, the deadline can be delayed if it enables a smooth transition to a new pool for the community.

Funding to construct a new pool will be included within the first three years of its 2027-2037 Long Term Plan. A final decision will be made by the end of June 2027.